There are some tunes, no matter how 'old' or 'young' we are, that always bring about nostalgia. Classics like "Blue Moon" made popular by Frankie Laine or Louis Armstrong, "Jamaican Farewell" by Harry Belafonte (who is now incidentally 81 years old) and Michael Buble's cover of the infamous dance number "Save The Last Dance" are indeed timeless.
These songs and a whole bunch of others will be packed into a musical evening in the form of Renaissance II by The Saints.
This is the second concert by The Saints, the newest all male choral group in town, and while this one might share a slight similarity with their first concert, the song selection is certainly different, as they now have a wider repertoire.
The Saints, a group of 12 from varied professions, have come together under the common umbrella of music. "Our interest is music and we sing with the goal of staging a concert," said Nalake Fernando and Herman Gunasekera, President and Secretary respectively, of The Saints. The idea for the name 'Saints' came about from the simple fact that all of them are from some of the island's leading 'Saints' Schools' - St. Benedict's College, St. Joseph's College, St. Peter's College, St. Anthony's College, St. Sebastian's College, St. Mary's College and St. Bridget's Convent.
"Our intention was to give God first preference," said Suren Abeysekera, conductor and trainer of The Saints. Suren added that their repertoire consists of inspirational songs like "Steal Away", Evergreens like "Love is a Many Splendoured Thing", Barbershop favourites like "Moonlight Bay," some Sinhala songs, a Calypso segment and a contemporary collection featuring songs like "Stand by Me" and "Any Dream Will Do" to name a few. The group will be accompanied by Ruwanthi Yatagama and Christopher Prins on percussion.
The Sinhala collection will feature popular Sinhala numbers like "Amba Ruk Sevanalle" by C. T. Fernando and "Tharuda Nidana Maha Ra" by Visharada Nanda Malani. This section, performed in four part harmony, will certainly be a treat.
Suren stated that the group, who perform as guest artistes for functions like weddings and Christmas shows, specialise in acapella singing, which brings out the best in harmonising. "Apart from singing, we are a close knit and united group," said Suren who added that this concert will become an annual feature.
"What I love about being a part of the Saints is the harmony and the part singing which sounds so full and rich," said Ruwanthi, adding that being the only lass in the group has not been an issue in the least, as they are a friendly bunch.
Ruwanthi first ventured into performing with Choro Benedicte, and currently conducts a small junior choir at the Asian International School. "She is a wizard on the piano," Suren said admiringly of her style of improvising with written music.
The concert will also feature guest performances by the Past Bridgeteens Choir and the much loved duo Denzil & Bosco who sing to the style of the Everly Brothers. The two who have been singing together since they first met in school, are also members of The Saints.
So for an evening of nostalgic favourites, be a part of Renaissance II at the British School Auditorium on Sunday October 26, 2008 at 7.00p.m. Tickets priced at Rs.750/- will be available at Mabroc Trades, Lanka Hands Building, Colombo 4 and 'Citibank Building' (Security Desk), Colombo 7.
The main sponsors for the event will be Dialog Telekom, while the media sponsors will be Real Radio, The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Times. Part of the proceeds of the show will go toward to Achievers, an organisation that helps differently abled children.
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